Navaratri Celebrations at Penusila Kshetram
Sep 25, 2006
After abhishekam with milk, yogurt, honey, sugar and fruit salad, pomegranate seeds are offered – the bright red seeds seem to be like beautiful rubies, and are very auspicious for Divine Mother
Gold and red are two very special colors for Divine Mother, especially in the form of kumkum and turmeric – “Divine Mother is a model for all women. She wears kumkum and turmeric to give us the message that these substances are very auspicious for us” ~Amma
Divine Mothers Lakshmi, Saraswati and Lalita each give slightly different types of blessings and bestow different kinds of auspicious energies - “God is formless and all-pervasive, but She comes in many forms in order to comfort and bless Her children” ~Amma
Sri
Lalita Parameswari Mahatripurasundari has been adorned
with a garland of
Sri Chakras as well as a beautiful
mangalya sutra, the marriage thread that gives
so much
auspicious energy to married women
Sri Saraswati Devi has been dressed in a pure white sari; wearing white helps us to attract Mother Saraswati’s divine blessings for kind speech, discrimination, inner purity, and a good memory
Sri Lakshmi Devi has been adorned with emerald and ruby necklaces - these gems are offered because they attract certain highly positive energies; when we have darshan of Mother wearing these gems, we receive special blessings for auspiciousness and protection from negativity
Swamiji worships a yantra before beginning all the homas; this is an important step in invoking divine energy into the homa fire
During the Ekadasavara Sri Rudra Homa, eleven priests chant Sri Rudram eleven times, for a total of 121 chantings – this incredibly powerful homa grants every kind of boon for good health, a peaceful mind, a dharmic life, and deep meditations
During a Vedic fire ceremony, various forms of God are invoked into the holy fire; in ancient times, there were no temples, but God was worshipped in the form of the sacred homa fire
Amma offers the purnahuti into the fire on behalf of all her children – “After getting mantra diksha, if you chant that mantra in front of a homa, you will definitely get accomplishment of that mantra in this very lifetime” ~Amma
Some of the Vedic priests have been trained in special musical instruments – hearing the enchanting rhythms of the drums and cymbals, one feels as if one has been transported back to ancient Vedic times
For the Amruta Mrutyunjaya and Ekadasavara Sri Rudra Homas, many medicinal herbs were collected; before taking the herbs from the sacred Penusila forest, permission was taken from Lord Siva to remove the herbs – “O Lord, we are performing this homa for universal healing, not for any personal reasons; please allow us to collect the proper herbs” ~Amma
During the procession, Amma offers worship to Mother Annapurneswari, who is seated in front of a sacred wish-fulfilling tree containing every kind of fruit – Devi is ever waiting to feed us with the nectar of highest Truth, and She is the one who grants the fruits of all our efforts
Our beloved Amma, whose nectarean smile is like food for our eyes, whose kind, compassionate words are like food for our ears, and whose divine motherly love is like food for our hearts
~~~
During the auspicious Navaratri festival,
may the whole world be drenched in the nectarean love of
our beloved Mother Sri Lalitambika Devi
~~~
Om shantih shantih shantihi
May all be in peace
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
May all be happy
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